Washington, D.C., Sept. 23, 2008 – ABB, a power and automation technology company, today announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) worth $15 million to supply 670 Series protection and control relays over the next 10 years. The agreement comes as TVA upgrades and expands its massive multi-state network on the power grid.

ABB will continue as a supplier to provide TVA with electromechanical relays, test switches and related power products, systems and services for TVA's many substations, switchyards, power plants and connection points, helping TVA to achieve increased energy efficiency, reliability and intelligence.

The announcement was made at GridWeek 2008, a U.S. Department of Energy conference in Washington, D.C. aimed at advancing smart grid initiatives.

ABB's 670 Series Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) is a highly-advanced protective relay for the protection, control and monitoring of transformers, breakers, transmission lines, capacitor banks, generators and buses. These relays allow multi-object capabilities where several primary apparatus can be protected with a single device, enabling many other intelligent solutions based on functional integration. The IED 670 series supports the worldwide IEC 61850 standard for substation automation, providing extreme intelligence and flexibility that allows for interoperability in communication with other relays and substation automation components.

“This significant agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority underscores ABB's commitment to provide the leading-edge, cost-effective technologies our customers need to strengthen their networks with advanced protection and control applications, improved energy efficiency, productivity and grid reliability,” said Gary Reid, general manager for Substation Automation Products, ABB North America. “We are pleased to continue as a TVA strategic partner with this agreement. The ABB team worldwide has worked hard to win TVA's business, and we are committed to ensuring that TVA receives the flexibility, power and intelligence the 670 Series brings to the grid as they expand their operations to meet growing power demands.”

ABB's Partnership with TVA

ABB has been a partner to TVA in the successful deployment and energization of the first U.S.-based multi-vendor IEC 61850 500 kV substation. TVA's Bradley substation was energized in April 2008 and sets the industry benchmark for capabilities in advanced protection, control and automation using the latest available technology and communication standards.

“Our collaboration with TVA during the buildout of their new Bradley substation, along with the dedication and expertise of everyone involved at TVA and ABB, was an important factor in making this new IEC 61850-compliant, 500kV substation a reality,” said Steven Kunsman, head of Substation Automation Products, Global Product Management, ABB. “We look forward to continuing this partnership with TVA as we look for ways to make the power grid more energy efficient and reliable for our customers.”

About TVA

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federal corporation and the nation's largest public power company. TVA was set up by the U.S. Congress in 1933. As a regional development agency, TVA supplies affordable, reliable power, supports a thriving river system, and stimulates sustainable economic development in the public interest. TVA operates fossil-fuel, nuclear, and hydropower plants, and also produces energy from renewable sources. It manages the nation's fifth-largest river system to minimize flood risk, produce power, maintain navigation, provide recreational opportunities, and protect water quality in the 41,000-square-mile watershed.

About ABB

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 115,000 people. The company's North American operations, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, employ about 12,000 people in 20 manufacturing and other major facilities.